Project Solutions: Art Lighting Structures Exposed to the Elements

Located in Toronto, Canada, “Back to Front” is an array of granite monoliths that sense shadows cast onto the structures and transfer them to reveal representative real-time animated silhouettes on the opposite sides.

This interactive work of art contains bespoke electronics driving arrays of LED lights sitting behind glass lenses embedded in the granite stone. The design required specialist environmental encapsulation of the integrated electronics that would offer many decades of protection for sensitive components which would otherwise be exposed to the elements.

With a vast amount of experience and knowledge in this particular discipline we were able to apply knowledge from previous projects to devise a quick and economical solution for our customer.

The design specification called for the complete encapsulation of the unusually large printed circuit boards (front and back, leaving no part exposed), paying particular attention not only to environmental concerns but also to the optical properties needed for the light sensors (‘incoming’ light) and also the LEDs (‘projected’ light). The encapsulation process developed by us for this unique application required precise control over the volume and uniform thickness of the encapsulation resin.

Various materials and techniques may be applied for any given application but in this specific case a clear epoxy resin solution was chosen (instead of, for example, silicon or polyurethane options) partly due to consideration for the UV stability of the encapsulation medium; it was important to avoid yellowing over time for optical and aesthetic reasons.

The process required us to manufacture custom, polished aluminium mould tools with curing of the previously de-gassed resin happening in a controlled environment for optimum resulting characteristics; these should be no allowable inclusions, particles or bubbles etc. in the finished article. For specific reasons a dry release agent was utilised to enable separation of the product from the mould tools after curing.

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About Artistic Technology

Artistic Technology offers a complete in-house design service for your project with in-depth experience in many niche areas such as environmental protection of electronic assemblies. If you feel we may be able to help you with your unique requirements in any way, from specialist knowledge in one particular area through to complete design, development and manufacture, then we would very much welcome the opportunity to talk with you.

Specifically in relation to the protection of delicate electronics, we have many years of experience in encapsulating assemblies for shock, vibration and environmental (particularly moisture) protection. More recently this knowledge has been expanded to include the use of clear resins for specialised applications including light, infra-red and microwave transmission and reception systems.

The rapid expansion of LED technology and the use of LEDs in primary lighting systems have created an opportunity to build specialised LED arrays using clear resins for optical lenses, lighting structures and environmental protection.

Expertise in epoxy, polyurethane and silicone resins coupled with innovative production mould tool design have allowed us to provide cost-effective solutions for Design Studios specialising in bespoke artwork/architectural lighting projects.